MIAMI ­— For the first time since he was a rookie, Cole Hamels will not have an October start on his pitching schedule.

His pitching for the year ended Sunday with seven strong innings that were complicated more by his two throwing errors than anything else, as the Phillies (80-79) scored three first-inning runs and cruised to a 4-1 win over Miami at Marlins Park.

Hamels finished the season with a career-high 17 victories and numbers (3.05 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 215Ď innings) strikingly similar to the ones he has posted in most of his full big-league seasons, with his post-World Series MVP hangover season in 2009 the lone exception.

In a year where uncertainty cast a long shadow across the Phillies and sapped any type of momentum they tried to build, Hamels was the one constant. And it wasn’t as if Hamels didn’t have a built-in excuse for things to go awry. He and the Phillies endured months of grinding negotiations before he agreed to six-year, $144 million contract extension.

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Before signing the lucrative deal, he was named to his third All-Star team. Since signing the extension, Hamels has gone 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts.

Yet both the pitcher and his manager believe the 28-year-old has another tier he’s capable of reaching.

“Cole was good again today, and he was consistent all year long,” Charlie Manuel said. “I’m still looking for him to have some of those big years, a 20- or 24-win season. I think he’s capable of doing that.

“I think it’s in there. Things just have to go good for him.”

Most pitchers might feel like rolling their eyes at that statement after following a season in which Hamels finished fifth in Cy Young voting and in the top 10 of virtually every starting-pitching statistical category with a carbon-copy of it. But this is a guy who said as a teenager his goal was to join the 300-win club ... so Hamels is all about expecting more.

“I like being consistent,” Hamels said, “but at the same time they are the types of numbers where they can be better. I can be consistent on a better basis. There’s always improvement that you can make ... numbers at the top-echelon of guys. I might be at the cusp, but I want to be at the top.

“I still think I have room to improve. At the same time, I’m glad I’m young enough to be in a situation where I can improve a lot more dramatically than guys being 33, 34, 35.”

The Phillies set the table for Hamels to improve to 17-6 by giving him three runs in the top of the fifth off Marlins starter Nathan Eovaldi (4-13), who gave up a leadoff walk to Jimmy Rollins, then four hits in the frame, including RBI knocks by Carlos Ruiz (3-for-4) and Nate Scheirholtz (2-for-4). Hamels didn’t give up a hit until the fourth, when Miami picked up three hits and Hamels was helped by fielders who threw out two Marlins at the plate.

After that Hamels had little trouble, striking out eight on the day before handing it over to Antonio Bastardo for a perfect eighth and Jonathon Papelbon in the ninth.

The Phillies wrap up the season with three games against the Nationals (96-62), who still need a win or a Braves’ loss to clinch the National League East crown the Phils had owned for five seasons. It’s a Washington team undoubtedly on the way up. It’s up to the Phillies to find a way to get back up in 2013.

“I’m sure you’ll see some intensity,” Manuel said. “They can get as good as they want. It’s up to us to get better. That’s how I look at it. I don’t give a bleep how good they get. If we’re going to beat them, we have to play better.”

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Tyler Cloyd’s reward for reaching 200 innings pitched for the first time in his playing career was a sore right forearm.

The Phillies decided to shelf Cloyd because of the “dead arm” issue. After going 15-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 26 starts between Double- and Triple-A, his six appearances with the Phillies were less enthralling -- 2-2, a 4.91 ERA and a whopping eight homers allowed in 33 innings.

“It’s sore. It could just be the innings. Who knows?” Cloyd said. “It’s just not recovering like it should be. It’s more sore than it should be. It doesn’t really loosen up.

“Obviously it sucks, but it happened and now we have to start preparing for the 2013 season.”

Cloyd’s lackluster performance in the majors as a replacement for Vance Worley (elbow surgery) certainly didn’t give the Phillies any reason to clear a rotation spot for the right-hander. But Cloyd did do enough with his stellar performance with Lehigh Valley to be named International League Most Valuable Pitcher.

While Cloyd is never overpowering, his goal this offseason is to strengthen his body in preparation for future 200-plus inning seasons.

“I’m already starting to work on an offseason workout program to strengthen my body, my shoulder ... that’s the goal right now,” said Cloyd, who felt the weakness arise after pitching eight innings against the mets Sept. 20.

“The season was great, I accomplished a lot. Obviously not being able to finish the season and make my last start (stinks).”

Cloyd was supposed to pitch Tuesday against the Nationals in the Phils’ penultimate game of the year. That will turn into a game worked by multiple relievers. One of those pitchers who could see action is right-hander Tyson Brummett, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Sunday. Brummett, 28, was a seventh-round pick in 2007 by the Phils who went 5-6 with a 3.20 ERA in 44 games (11 starts) between Reading and Lehigh Valley this season. To make room for Brummett on the 40-man roster, the Phils moved injured catcher Brian Schneider to the 60-day disabled list.

NOTES: Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 38th save in 42 opportunities, and still has a chance to join Jose Mesa (twice), Mitch Williams and Brad Lidge as the only relievers in Phillies history to record 40 or more saves in a season ... Carlos Ruiz hit his 31st double of the season, which is the most by any catcher in the majors ... Third-base coach Juan Samuel seems to have a target on his chest this year for baseball and base runners. He took a foul ball in the chest when Miami’s Donovan Solano tried to bunt for a hit and instead fired the ball into the Phillies’ dugout. “You can’t hurt steel,” Samuel said, smiling, after the game.

Angels’ Trout

1strookie with

30 homers, 40 SBs

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Angels center fielder Mike Trout has become the first major league rookie ever with 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases.

Trout hit his 30th homer Sunday, a two-out solo shot in the seventh inning at Texas off Yu Darvish.

The 21-year-old Trout had a leadoff walk to start the game, then quickly got his 48th stolen base.

Only two players in the majors have ever had 30 homers and 50 stolen bases — Eric Davis in 1987 and Barry Bonds in 1990.

The Angels have four games left in the regular season, including the second game of Sunday’s day-night doubleheader against the AL West-leading Rangers.